PAN to employ big names for campaign
PAN to employ big names for campaign
BANDUNG (JP): The National Mandate Party (PAN) is recruiting
noted political scientists Ichlasul Amal, Afan Gaffar, Mochtar
Mas'ud and Syamsu Rizal Panggabean along with almost 300 other
people to campaign for it in the election next June.
Party official Masrudin said the scientists and others to be
recruited "have the potential to attract votes... not all of
them are members of PAN but are volunteering to help."
The party is aiming to win 25 percent of the vote, he said,
including the votes of those who had abandoned Golkar and the
United Development Party (PPP).
American scholar William Liddle recently predicted that the
next election would see the emergence of five major contenders:
Golkar, the Megawati Soekarnoputri faction of the splintered
Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), PPP, PAN and the National
Awakening Party (PKB) established by Nahdlatul Ulama chairman
Abdurrahman Wahid.
PAN is currently holding its congress here, where chairman
Amien Rais announced on Wednesday his readiness to run for the
presidency next year.
Party official Dawam Rahardjo said PAN was working to
establish a democratic political tradition where all political
parties could nominate their own leaders as presidential
candidates. The party will officially announce its nomination
either at the end of the congress on Friday or before the
election next June.
Meanwhile, Amien Rais said the party was determined to
eliminate feudalism and paternalism here, particularly in the
political, economic and legal sectors.
"Feudalism and paternalism in the political, economic and
legal sectors must be scrapped because they are barriers to our
nation becoming a modern and democratic one," Rais said during an
open dialog with congress participants.
He said feudalistic practices could be seen in the rigid
division of social life into high, middle and lower social
classes, while paternalism stems from certain figures who claim
to be the most knowledgeable of all.
"Feudalism and paternalism must be done away with once and for
all," he stressed, adding that paternalism is still growing in
practice today. He said that PAN as a political party would like
to get rid of feudalism and paternalism so that measures could be
taken to prepare for the development of real democracy.
Regarding power, he said, PAN believes power is a mandate and
not an instrument to be used for the benefit of an individual or
a group or for the oppression of others.
"God willing, if power holders consider power as a mandate
from God the Almighty, it is very unlikely that there would be
abuse of power," he added.
About 500 participants from 23 regional governing boards and
155 subregional governing boards across the country are attending
PAN's first national conference. (43)